Borrowed platforms
A feed you don't own decides who hears the sermon. Platforms matter more than we ever considered, and most churches and creators don't own theirs.
Trellis Podcast System
Building the future of Christian podcasts.
Trellis helps churches and creators build faithful, helpful, Biblical content: shows that support the people making them and serve the people listening.
Strategy · Systems · Software · Support
A podcast system built from the ground up: the plan, the routines that carry it, one workspace to hold it, and people around you while it grows.
The old way
The old systems are breaking.
The way Christian media got made is coming to an end. What replaces it will be built on different ground.
01
02
One person, five jobs
A volunteer with a laptop holds the whole show together. The pace breaks the maker before it builds the audience.
03
Content that fills, not feeds
Made to keep up with a calendar, not to serve anyone. People can tell, and they leave before the message lands.
A better way
Two ways to build a show.
The old way
- ×Rent the audienceReach that resets every time the platform changes its mind.
- ×Fill the feedMore episodes, faster, forever. It is never full.
- ×Burn out the makerThe show ends when the one person carrying it does.
The Trellis way
- ✓FaithfulBiblical first. The plan starts with what the show is for and who it answers to.
- ✓FruitfulHelpful to the people who listen, measured by whether it served them.
- ✓SustainableA pace you can keep, on a platform you own, for years.
Trellis Podcast System
See the whole system →
Built from the ground up.
Strategy first, then the systems that carry it, then software to hold it, then support so it keeps growing. Each stage rests on the one before it.
01
Strategy
Where the show is going, who it serves, and why. Built with a coach before anything gets made.
02Systems
The routines that turn the plan into episodes: season arc, pipeline, shoot-day packets, promo cadence.
03Software
One workspace for the whole show, so nothing is retyped and nothing lives in someone's head.
04Support
A coach, and a room of churches and creators building the same thing on the same calendar.
Who it's for
Make the move.
Every show on Trellis starts the same way: naming what it's moving from, and what it's building toward.
Churches
From a sermon feed→to a show that serves.
A staff that never signed up to be a media team. Trellis gives the show a plan, a pipeline, a platform you own, and a person to call.
Apply for your church →
Creators
From the algorithm→to an audience you keep.
A faithful voice building something that lasts. Trellis gives you the strategy, the systems, and a room of creators building the same thing.
Apply as a creator →
Apply
It's time for a better way. Let's build it from the ground up.
Five minutes to tell us about the show and the problem. Eric reads every application and books a short fit call if it's a match.
Prefer email? eric@trellis.fm
Trellis
Solve your podcast's biggest problem.
Your show is spread across seven apps, and it still isn't growing. Trellis gives you the software, the support, and the coaching to change that, in one place.
A show doesn't grow because you bought better gear, or one more app. It grows when the software, the support, and the coaching finally pull in the same direction.
How it flows
Section 01
Strategy, then systems, then software, then support.
Most tools sell you one more app and wish you luck. Trellis starts with the plan, builds the routines, gives them a place to live, and keeps people around while the show climbs.
01
Strategy
Where the show is going and why. Built with a coach from your numbers, written on the board before anything gets made.
See coaching → 02Systems
The routines that turn the plan into episodes: the season arc, the pipeline, the shoot-day packets, the promo cadence.
See the system → 03Software
One workspace for the whole show. Plan, produce, promote, and grow from one login, with nothing retyped.
See the software → 04Support
A small room of hosts in your vertical, a thread where the questions go, and a shoot-day system that does the producer's job for you.
See the cohorts →Why it works
Section 02
Software is the frame. Coaching or a cohort is the support the show climbs on.
A board on its own gets tidy and then goes quiet. Give it something to climb, a plan, a room, and someone reading the numbers every week, and the same board starts compounding.
| Software alone | Trellis | |
|---|---|---|
| The plan for the season | Yours to invent | Built with a coach, on the board |
| Your numbers | A dashboard you open sometimes | Read on every call, with next moves |
| When you get stuck | A help doc | A thread with hosts in your vertical, and a coach |
| Accountability | A reminder you can dismiss | A weekly call with your name on it |
| The pile of apps | Still there, plus one | Gone. One workspace, nothing retyped |
| After the season | A subscription | A seat that stays, and a room that stays open |
Two ways to build it
Section 03
Choose your support.
The software is the frame. Coaching or a cohort is the support your show climbs on, and which one you choose decides who's building it with you.
Photo · One-to-one call, numbers on screen
A
Coaching
Forty-five minutes on your show with Eric, every other week. Your numbers, read. Your next three moves, on the board. The software included.
See coaching →
Photo · A cohort call, six shows on screen
B
Cohorts
Twelve weeks with a small room of shows from your vertical, weekly calls, a thread for the questions in between. The software included, and the seat stays.
See the cohorts →Which support
Both include the software and the fit call. The difference is pace, how hands-on it is, and what it costs.
| Coaching | Cohort | |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | Faster. Your show is the only thing on the call. | A season. Twelve weeks, one stage at a time, with the room. |
| How hands-on | One-to-one with Eric, every other week. Your numbers, your board, your next three moves. | Weekly group calls with a coach in the room. Your show gets worked on, alongside the others. |
| Who's in the room | You and Eric. | Six to ten shows from your vertical, and a thread that stays open after. |
| Cost | Higher. You're buying the time. | Lower per seat. You're sharing the coach and gaining the room. |
| Between sessions | Questions go on the episode thread; Eric answers. | Questions go to the room first; the coach weighs in. |
| Best fit if | You have a specific wall and want it worked through now, with full attention. | You want company, a calendar, and shows like yours to compare notes with. |
Not sure? Pick "not sure yet" on the application. The fit call sorts it out, and pricing for your path is shared there.
01
Apply
Tell us about the show and the problem
02
Climb
Software, support, and coaching, together
03
Grow
A season that compounds instead of resets
1. Apply → 2. Climb → 3. Grow
Two minutes
Watch the overview.
Eric walks the whole system in one take: the workspace from plan to publish, and how the cohort fits around it.
Video coming. This frame reserves the spot.
If nothing changes
Seven apps, one show
The same episode retyped into five places. Stats nobody opens. Briefs you can't find on taping day. A season that ends where it started.
If you build the trellis
One place, one direction, and company
Software that holds the show, support when you're stuck, a coach who has read your numbers, and hosts beside you climbing the same wall.
Give your show something to climb.
01 · Software
Your show runs on seven apps that don't talk to each other.
Every tool made sense when you added it. Together, they are the problem: the same episode retyped into five places, stats nobody opens, briefs nobody can find on taping day. Trellis replaces the pile.
Sketch of the pipeline board · real screens replace this at launch
The problem, named
Section 01
What the pile becomes
TrelloNotionMonday
becomes ↓
Produce: the episode pipelineCustom columns, statuses that match your workflow, subtasks by type, batch and season creation.
Google DocsScattered briefs
becomes ↓
Plan: research to shoot dayAI brainstorms against your strategy; one click compiles briefs, producer notes, and tech rundowns.
Spreadsheet exports3 platform dashboards
becomes ↓
Analytics: every platform, one viewApple, Spotify, and YouTube together, plain-English insights, custom reports on a schedule.
Mailchimp copy-pasteCanva promo chaos
becomes ↓
Promote: marketing on railsEpisode emails written from live show data, clip queue, guesting pitches, partnership tracking.
TypeformEmail chainsCalendly ping-pong
becomes ↓
Guest intake, built inA customizable guest form that flows straight into your research pipeline and shoot days.
Slack threadsText messages"Did you see my email?"
becomes ↓
Updates live on the episodeThreads, mentions, and assignments attached to the work itself, with notifications that follow you.
Four modules
Section 02
Plan. Produce. Promote. Grow.
01
Plan
Strategy, research chat, guest intake, and one-click shoot-day packets.
02
Produce
The episode pipeline: boards that bend to your workflow, seasons, subtasks, assignments.
03
Promote
Episode emails, clip queue, guesting pitches, and a partnership tracker that isn't in your head.
04
Grow
Analytics across Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, plain-English insights, the Growth Library.
The tax
Retyping the same episode into five places is not production. It's a tax.
Every hour spent moving information between apps is an hour the show didn't grow. The workspace exists so the only thing you retype is nothing: the brief, the board, the email, and the report all read from the same episode.
It's built by someone who has run taping days with a binder of printouts, and would rather nobody else had to.
What's included
Section 03
Not add-ons. Not "coming soon" asterisks.
These ship in the box on day one, for every seat in the program.
01
Growth Library
Short, practical lessons: titles, cold opens, the first sponsor. Each ends in actions you ship this week.
02
Shoot-day packets
Briefs, producer notes, and tech rundowns compiled from your live board in one click.
03
AI research chat
Brainstorms episode ideas against your strategy and your top performers, not generic prompts.
04
Episode email generator
Announcement, story-first, or digest copy written from real episode data. A/B subjects included.
05
Guesting pitch drafts
Get booked on other shows with pitches built from your blueprint and your real numbers.
06
Partnership tracker
Sponsors, cross-promos, and affiliates with statuses and next steps.
07
Boards that bend
Rename columns, invent statuses, add text, status, and date fields. Your workflow, not ours.
08
The show assistant
Ask about your pipeline, tasks, or numbers in plain English, from anywhere in the app.
How you get in
See the program →
01
Apply
Pick coaching or a cohort
02
Fit call
Twenty minutes with Eric
03
Log in
The workspace comes with your seat
1. Apply → 2. Fit call → 3. Log in
The workspace isn't sold on its own. It comes with the climb.
Apply for access →
02 · System
Software alone never grew a show. A trellis did.
Trellis is three things working together: the software that holds the show, the support of a small room of hosts in your vertical, and coaching from someone who has shipped seasons. You don't buy the software. You join the system, and the software comes with it.
Photo · Eric on a cohort callTwo ways to build it
Section 01
Choose your support.
The software is the frame. Coaching or a cohort is the support the show climbs on.
Photo · One-to-one call, numbers on screen
A
Coaching
Forty-five minutes on your show, every other week, one-to-one with Eric. Bring your numbers, leave with the next three moves. The workspace is included for the length of the engagement.
See coaching →
Photo · Cohort kickoff, one vertical per room
B
Cohorts
A small room of hosts from the same vertical, working the same problems on the same calendar. Twelve weeks, weekly calls, a thread for the questions in between, and a software seat that stays after the cohort ends.
See the cohorts →Which support
Both include the software and the fit call. The difference is pace, how hands-on it is, and what it costs.
| Coaching | Cohort | |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | Faster. Your show is the only thing on the call. | A season. Twelve weeks, one stage at a time, with the room. |
| How hands-on | One-to-one with Eric, every other week. Your numbers, your board, your next three moves. | Weekly group calls with a coach in the room. Your show gets worked on, alongside the others. |
| Who's in the room | You and Eric. | Six to ten shows from your vertical, and a thread that stays open after. |
| Cost | Higher. You're buying the time. | Lower per seat. You're sharing the coach and gaining the room. |
| Between sessions | Questions go on the episode thread; Eric answers. | Questions go to the room first; the coach weighs in. |
| Best fit if | You have a specific wall and want it worked through now, with full attention. | You want company, a calendar, and shows like yours to compare notes with. |
Not sure? Pick "not sure yet" on the application. The fit call sorts it out, and pricing for your path is shared there.
How access works
Section 02
Three steps, no checkout page
There's no public price table, on purpose. The right path depends on the show, so cost is set per program and shared on the fit call.
01
Apply
Five minutes. Tell us about the show, the vertical, and the thing that's stuck. Eric reads every application.
02
Fit call
Twenty minutes to hear the honest read: coaching, a cohort, or not yet. Pricing for your path is shared here.
03
Log in
A seat, a start date, and a workspace login the same day. Founding members lock their rate for as long as they stay.
Every path includes
Section 03
The whole trellis, either way
01
The software
Plan, produce, promote, grow. Every module, one login.
02
Live calls
Weekly in a cohort, every other week in coaching.
03
Growth Library
Every lesson, with the actions to ship this week.
04
Shoot-day system
Briefs, producer notes, and rundowns from the board.
05
Support between calls
A thread for the question that can't wait until next week.
06
Founding terms
Early members keep their rate as long as they stay.
01
Apply
Pick your support, tell us the problem
02
Fit call
The honest read, and the price
03
Climb
Software, support, coaching
1. Apply → 2. Fit call → 3. Climb
Not sure which support? The fit call decides that, not you.
System · A · Coaching
Forty-five minutes on your show, every other week.
One-to-one with Eric. Bring your numbers, leave with the next three moves. The workspace is included for the length of the engagement, and the notes from every call live on the episode they're about.
A session
Section 01
What a fortnight looks like
Before
You send the numbers
The workspace does this for you. Eric reads them first.
The call
Forty-five minutes
One problem, worked to a decision. No slides.
After
Three moves
Written on the board, assigned, dated.
Between
You ship
Questions go on the episode thread, not into a DM.
Before → The call → Three moves → You ship
Who it's for
Shows with a specific wall
- 01A show past launch that has plateaued and can't say why
- 02A host who is also the producer, the editor, and the marketer
- 03A show about to hire its first editor or assistant
- 04A show about to monetize and unsure what it's worth
- 05Anyone whose vertical doesn't have a cohort yet
Who it isn't for
Pre-launch shows, usually
If you haven't recorded yet, a cohort is almost always the better support. The fit call will say so.
Photo · Notes on the board after a callQuote from a coached host about the first call where the numbers finally made sense.
— Host, show name · pilot, quote pending
00
shows coached
00
seasons shipped
00h
returned per week
Before you ask
Section 03
Coaching questions
How long is an engagement? +
A season, in practice: about three months. Some shows renew, some graduate into a cohort, some leave with a plan and run it themselves. All three are fine outcomes.
What does it cost? +
It's set per engagement and shared on the fit call, along with the honest read on whether coaching is the right support. Founding members keep their rate as long as they stay.
Do I keep the workspace afterward? +
Yes. The workspace seat stays with the show after coaching ends, at the founding rate. Your board, your briefs, and your call notes don't disappear when the calls stop.
Do I need a producer or a team for this to work? +
No. The calls and the software work for a host on their own. If you do have an editor or an assistant, they're welcome on the board.
Bring the numbers. Leave with the next three moves.
System · B · Cohorts
Where you are
Growing alone
A show, a host, and a to-do list nobody else can see. Every problem solved from scratch, because nobody in your vertical is comparing notes.
Where you're going
Growing in a room that gets it
Six to ten shows from the same vertical, on the same calendar, with the same coach and the same board. The problems repeat. The answers compound.
Twelve weeks
How a cohort runs
Week 0
Apply
Five minutes, then a twenty-minute fit call
→Week 1
Kickoff
Logins, the board, one problem per show
→Weeks 2–5
Plan
Strategy, research, the season arc
→Weeks 6–9
Produce
Batch days, packets, the pipeline running
→Weeks 10–12
Promote
Emails, clips, pitches, first partnerships
→After
Grow
The seat stays. So does the room.
Swipe →
Cohorts by vertical
Section 02
Each cohort is built for one kind of show.
Every seat in the room is working the same problem, so the calls stay specific. The first verticals are being finalized. The cards below are the frame they'll fill.
Cohort 01
Vertical to be announced
Who it's for goes here, in one sentence.
- Length12 weeks
- CallsWeekly · 60 min
- SeatsTBD
- StartsTBD
Cohort 02
Vertical to be announced
Who it's for goes here, in one sentence.
- Length12 weeks
- CallsWeekly · 60 min
- SeatsTBD
- StartsTBD
Your vertical
Don't see your kind of show?
Tell us on the application. Cohorts open where the applications cluster, and coaching covers the gap until then.
Apply anywayWhat every cohort includes
Section 03
The room, the coach, and the workspace
01
Weekly calls
Sixty minutes, one vertical, one problem at a time.
02
The workspace
A full seat from kickoff, and it stays after week twelve.
03
Growth Library
Every lesson, sequenced to the twelve weeks.
04
Shoot-day system
Briefs, producer notes, rundowns from the board.
05
The room
A thread with the other shows, open after the cohort ends.
06
Founding terms
The first cohort in each vertical locks its rate.
About cost
Cohort pricing is set per vertical and shared on the fit call.
There's no public price table because the right cohort depends on the show. What we can say now: the workspace is included, there's no separate software bill, and the founding cohort in each vertical keeps its rate for as long as it stays.
Before you ask
Section 04
Cohort questions
Do I have to join a cohort to use the software? +
Yes, or coaching. The workspace isn't sold on its own. That's deliberate: a board without a plan and a room is how most shows end up with seven apps in the first place.
What if my vertical isn't listed? +
Apply anyway and name it. Cohorts open where applications cluster, and coaching covers the gap until yours does.
How much time does a cohort take? +
One sixty-minute call a week, plus the work you were already doing on the show, now in one place. Most hosts find the week gets shorter, not longer.
What happens to the workspace after week twelve? +
Your seat stays at the founding rate. Your board, briefs, analytics, and the cohort thread stay with it.
Week 0 starts when you apply.
03 · About
Where shows grow.
Trellis is built by Eric Randall, a producer who has run taping days, shipped seasons, and watched good shows stall for reasons that had nothing to do with talent. The system is the thing he wished existed on those days.
Portrait · Eric, in the studio
What we can't stand watching
Hosts spending their best hours moving information between apps.
A host retyping the guest's bio for the fourth time. Hunting for the brief ten minutes before the taping. Promo that never went out, because nothing reminded anyone.
None of that is the work. Trellis exists so the work is the only thing left.
Empathy
We've had the binder.
Printouts on taping day. A spreadsheet of downloads nobody trusted. The same show described three different ways in three different tools. We built the workspace on those days, for those days.
Authority
And we know what compounds.
00
years producing
000+
episodes shipped
00
shows in pilot
Pilot showPilot showStudioNetwork
What we believe
Section 02
Three things we won't budge on
01
The mess is the problem, not the mic.
Better gear never fixed a show that couldn't find its own brief.
02
Software alone never grew a show.
It takes the software, the support, and the coaching together. Selling a host one more app is how they got here.
03
Say the honest thing.
Stubs say they're stubs. Numbers are numbers. If a path isn't right for you, the fit call says so.
People
Section 03
Who's on the calls
PortraitEric Randall
Founder · Coach
Portrait · to comeVertical coach
Named with the first cohort
Portrait · to comeVertical coach
Named with the second cohort
Portrait · to comeProducer
Shoot-day system
Photo · The studio, Oklahoma City
Roots
Built in Oklahoma City. Growing everywhere.
The studio is in OKC. The cohorts are on a video call, so the room is wherever the shows are.
Ready to put the whole show in one place?
Trellis
Free live workshop for Christian podcasts
Are you ready for your podcast's biggest growth window?
The new year is when listeners go looking for new shows and content. Let's plan your 2027 content and launch now, so they find a show that's ready for them.
Wednesday, October 21
9:30am Central · live · free
Why now
January is when people go looking for a new show.
New routines, new commutes, new resolutions. Every year a wave of listeners arrives in the first weeks of the year looking for something worth their time. The shows that grow are the ones that were ready before they got there.
01
The window is short
The surge starts the first week of January and settles by February. A show that's still deciding what it's about in the new year misses most of it.
02
December is too late
Holidays, travel, and a church calendar that's already full. If the plan isn't set by November, the episodes won't be recorded in time to launch with it.
03
Ready shows compound
A listener who finds a planned season keeps listening. One who finds a gap, an old episode, or a vague promise moves on and doesn't come back.
The stakes
Two ways to start 2027.
Unplanned
- ×A quiet JanuaryThe feed goes silent over the holidays and restarts whenever someone has a free afternoon.
- ×Episode by episodeEvery week starts from scratch. No arc, no theme, nothing for a new listener to commit to.
- ×The same numbers as last yearThe growth season comes and goes, and the show never finds out what it could have been.
Launched well
- ✓A season, not a streamA named arc with a start date, a reason to subscribe, and episodes banked before it begins.
- ✓A calendar you can keepRecording days, publish days, and promo days set before the year gets busy.
- ✓Ready when they arriveNew listeners find a show that knows what it's for, and they stay.
What we'll cover
The 5 C framework for podcast growth, worked through on your show.
01
Clarity
Can someone tell what your show is about in one sentence, and know if it's for them?
02
Currency
Are your episodes about what your audience is actually searching for right now?
03
Challenge
What gives listeners something to join this season, and gives the show momentum?
04
Collaboration
Whose audience could you be borrowing, and why aren't you yet?
05
Compounding
Does what you make keep working after it airs, or does growth reset every week?
Who it's for
Christian podcast hosts with a 2027 in front of them.
Already running
From one more year→to a planned season.
Your show has been going a while and the numbers have flattened. You want 2027 to be the year it grows on purpose.
Launching
From an idea→to a January launch.
You've been meaning to start the show. The new year is the best time to do it, if the plan is set this fall.
Churches
From a sermon feed→to a show that serves.
A staff that never signed up to be a media team, and a feed that could be so much more than Sunday's audio.
Portrait · Eric
Your host
Eric Randall
I've spent years behind whiteboards and production consoles: launching podcasts, directing livestreams, and building content teams for churches, founders, and organizations that would rather be trusted than trending.
Today I work two ways. For ongoing shows, I own the strategy and production for a season so the show ships every month. For one-off projects, I show up, produce the thing, and hand it back better than I found it.
Either way, the job is the same: make the people you serve trust you more, not just notice you.
Save your seat
Wednesday, October 21
Wednesday, October 21
9:30am Central
Free, live, online. Bring your show. You'll leave with a finished worksheet, and if you register and can't make it, you'll get the recording.
Save my seat →
The registration link is coming soon. Leave your email and we'll send it to you the moment it's live.
From shows Eric has worked with
In their words.
With Eric Randall as our podcast producer, we broke into the top ten of all Christian podcasts in the nation. Eric's creativity, tenacity, eye for detail, and innovative strategy helped take our podcast to new heights. On top of all that, he's a lot of FUN to work with! If you want to maximize your podcast's potential, then get Eric Randall on your team.
Eric is exactly what you would hope for. He is full of ideas and encouragement. It's clear he has the competence and care to provide incredible value through his time. He has helped recharge and refocus our podcast.
Before you ask
Workshop questions
Is it really free? +
Yes. No card, no catch. Near the end Eric will say a few words about Trellis for anyone who wants help carrying the plan out, and that's the extent of the pitch.
Do I need a show already? +
No. If you're launching in 2027, this is the right time to plan it. Bring the idea, the audience you have in mind, and a rough sense of how often you could record.
Will there be a recording? +
Yes. Everyone who registers gets the recording afterward, whether or not they made it live. The live session is better, because you can ask about your show.
How long is it? +
Plan for about an hour: the working session, then time for questions about your show.
Application drafted
Here's what would happen next.
Eric reads it, replies within a week, and books a twenty-minute fit call if it's a match.
The application form isn't wired up yet. This is a site frame. Nothing was sent anywhere. Until it's connected, email eric@trellis.fm with the show name and the problem.
Back to homeWhat happens next
Three steps, no pitch deck
01
Eric reads the application and listens to the show.
02
Twenty minutes: your problem, the honest read, the price.
03
A seat, a start date, and a workspace login the same day.
Just browsing?
Get told when your vertical's cohort opens.
No spam. Cohort news and the occasional growth lesson.